The New Depancel Serie-R Chronograph Ice Blue
A limited edition emulating the attractive two-tone bodywork of a majestic Talbot-Lago T26.
When your brand name is a contraction of three historic French car manufacturers – Delage, Panhard and Facel Vega – the automotive theme is more than a passing reference. Founded in 2018 by engineer and motorsport enthusiast Clément Meynier, Depancel‘s core products focus on sporty racing watches and chronographs. The distinctive rectangular Serie-R collection welcomes the Ice Blue, a chronograph with an attractive colour scheme inspired by the ice-blue bodywork of a 1947 Talbot-Lago T26.
Regarded as post-war masterpieces, the premium version of the Talbot-Lago T26 was sold as a bare rolling chassis and then taken to elite coachbuilders for customisation. The Talbot-Lago that inspired Depancel was entrusted to the celebrated French coachbuilder Figoni & Falaschi, the name behind some of the most iconic and aerodynamic automobile bodies of the 1930s. Another distinguishing feature of the coachbuilder was its signature two-tone paint schemes that underscored the cars’ flowing curves.
The model selected to pay tribute to the famous car’s paintwork comes from Depancel’s Serie-R family, an evolution of the brand’s inaugural model, the (Re)Naissance, inspired by the shape of the Delage D8-120’s radiator grille.
The new Série-R Ice Blue comes in a 40mm x 36mm stainless steel case with a thickness of 13.3mm (12.4mm without the sapphire crystal) and a lug-to-lug span of 48.5mm. Viewed in profile, the case reveals its dynamic architecture. The polished rectangular pushers, embedded in the vertically brushed middle case, flank the octagonal crown; the left side of the case features a polished screwed plaque indicating the limited edition number No. XXX/100. Emulating the vintage car grille, the top part of the case features a curved line and sloping edges to produce a more streamlined effect.
Echoing the two-tone bodywork of the historic Talbot-Lago T26, the dial has an attractive ice-blue colour with a darker midnight-blue 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, like the dramatic pontoon fenders or wings that sweep over the front and rear wheels. The peripheral area of the dial features deeply etched lines that suggest the vertical lines of a vintage car grille and hosts 8 applied indices. The central area with three sub-dials is recessed and sunray-brushed. A second series of indices at 5-minute intervals and a 60-second/minute track enhance chronograph readings. All the indices and Depancel dashboard hour and minute hands are treated with white Super-LumiNova, while the central chronograph seconds hand and the sub-dial hands match the midnight-blue colour of the 30-minute counter.
A round sapphire crystal on the caseback reveals the Chinese Peacock SL-4801 calibre, an automatic, integrated, column-wheel chronograph movement with a vertical clutch, a transversal balance bridge and a 55-hour power reserve.
The Serie-R Ice Blue is paired with a sporty rally-style blue leather strap. It is a limited edition of 100 numbered pieces and can be preordered today at 4:00 PM at depancel.com for EUR 1,495 (incl. tax).